The Right Thing
by Kittie Aupa
Summary: Takes place during Chrono Stone. KyouTen.


"Tenma? Aren't you coming?" Fei asked as he saw his friend stop while they were on their way to the school gate.

"Go ahead. I've got something important to do," Tenma replied. "Tell Aki-nee I might be late."

Fei looked at the boy in confusion, but Tenma didn't have his attention anymore. He was waving at someone.

"Tsurugi!"

It made sense. With a somewhat lonely smile, the green-haired boy walked away as Tenma rushed to his friend.

Tsurugi hung his head and let out a sigh. "Did you really have to yell? I would have noticed you even if you hadn't."

"Are you gonna visit Yuuichi-san? Can I come with you?"

"You still owe me an explanation after all."

Tenma nodded. This was the main reason he had been waiting for Tsurugi. But this wasn't all.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Tsurugi asked Tenma as the two of them began walking to the hospital. He thought Tenma would have been looking depressed, with soccer being banned.

"No reason," Tenma said. "I'm just happy to be with you."

Tsurugi snorted, looking away awkwardly. He wished Tenma would just stop saying corny stuff like that. When it was about soccer, he could stand it – somehow – but when it came to their relationship… Tenma would always end up doing something embarrassing, like holding his hand. Which he just started doing.

"Matsukaze!" Tsurugi hissed. Tenma only held his hand tighter in his.

"There aren't that many people around…" Tenma said. Tsurugi was about to protest, but something about his friend's expression stopped him. The pale boy let out a sigh.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Like I said, I'm happy to be with you. Like that." There was melancholy in Tenma's voice, though he attempted to hide it with a smile. He tried hard to suppress these memories from the parallel world. From a world where Tsurugi didn't know him. But it was still fresh in his mind, and Tenma felt so relieved to have Tsurugi here next to him – that he would allow him to hold hands – that he could cry. In fact, he didn't realize there were tears in his eyes until he felt something wet trickle down his chin. "Ah."

The sound made Tsurugi look at Tenma's face. The sight hurt him much more than he would have expected. Tenma wasn't a crybaby like Shindou. It would take a reason for him to shed tears.

And somehow, he knew this wasn't soccer-related.

Tsurugi pulled on Tenma's hand, dragging him to an alley where they would be out of sight.

"Tsurugi?" Tenma peered up questioningly at the other boy. Tsurugi's serious look made him feel uneasy. With the sleeve of his free arm – Tsurugi was still holding his hand – Tenma wiped his tears. "Sorry for crying like that. I'm embarrassing you, right?"

"Tell me what's wrong."

It was hard for Tenma to talk. Of course he had promised to explain the story about Yuuichi. Yet, he still hoped to hide a part of the story because he felt like an egoist when he remembered about it.

In the parallel world, Yuuichi had been able to play the soccer he loved so much. But he had been willing to give that up in order to allow his brother to continue playing freely. This was a very kind and noble act.

Tenma didn't feel like that at all about himself. He felt like his reason for helping Yuuichi had been for the only purpose of retrieving Tsurugi, his Tsurugi. Not just his soccer teammate, but also his boyfriend. "Who are you?" Tsurugi had said coldly when they had met in that other world. The words had frozen Tenma's blood in his veins.

"I-I..."

"Just calm down," Tsurugi said, his voice softer than usual, way more gentle than it had been in the parallel world. Tenma realised he was on the verge of crying again.

"I'm sorry!" he cried out, bowing deeply. He then proceeded telling Tsurugi everything: about meeting Yuuichi in the past, about how Tsurugi had given up soccer to allow his brother to play, about Yuuichi's sacrifice in order to restore things, and most of all about how Tsurugi and Tenma had never met in that world. "I'm sorry, Tsurugi! I should have tried harder to make Yuuichi-san change his mind! We could have found a way! I was just... I couldn't... stand..." Being without the Tsurugi he knew.

It was a lot of information to take in for Tsurugi. He had remained silent all the time Tenma had been talking. He tried to picture that alternative Yuuchi, what his brother would have become if the accident had never occurred.

And then, Tsurugi looked at Tenma. Although he wasn't sure how those time travels and parallel really worked, he couldn't help but feel that Yuuichi knew what Tenma meant to him. Tenma had made him open his eyes about the deceiving soccer of the Fifth Sector. He had taught him to fully enjoy soccer and to trust his teammates. And Tenma had gradually become a friend, then more than that.

"I think Nii-san did the right thing."

Tenma was surprised by these words.

"But..."

"Stop worrying. You have nothing to feel bad about." Tsurugi gazed at Tenma's face. "In fact, I'm grateful."

Tenma's eyes seemed to grow larger. "Tsurugi!" He hugged Tsurugi so suddenly the dark-haired boy couldn't avoid it. His face flushed for a second and he rolled his eyes, looking exasperated.

"Matsukaze..." But then, this didn't feel unpleasant, though he would never admit it. He was willing to let Tenma hold him a little longer.

"I love you, Tsurugi!"

"Cut it out!" The boy's face was now beat red.

"Hehe, sorry," Tenma said, knowing he had crossed Tsurugi's embarrassment limit. "But I mean it."

"I know, so shut up."

"Okay." Tenma let go, smiling. He felt better. "Thank you, Tsurugi."

The pale boy shrugged. "Let's just hurry, I want to arrive before the visits are over."

Tenma nodded. "Let's go."

They left the alley and resumed walking. Tenma didn't take Tsurugi's hand this time. But his left arm was swinging close to Tsurugi's right arm. This was enough.

Tsurugi smiled.


End file.
